The University of Akron Athletics
Zips Carry Momentum to Western Michigan
April 05 | Baseball
The University of Akron baseball team will open a three-game
series at West Division-foe Western Michigan starting Friday at 3
p.m. at Hyames Field while riding the momentum of two mid-week,
non-conference wins. The Zips and Broncos will also play Saturday
and Sunday with each game starting at 1 p.m.
ON THE WEB
Live stats for all three games at Western Michigan will be
available at GoZips.com.
WEEK SEVEN RESET
The Zips scored three times in the seventh and eighth
innings to rally past visiting Malone College Tuesday in a 6-3
decision before banging out a season-high 24 hits and 18 runs in an
18-8 rout at Duquesne Wednesday.
WEEK SIX RECAP
UA went 2-2 last week with wins over Cleveland State and
Northern Illinois, but couldn't hold on to take their first home
series after a 7-4 setback in 11 innings to the Huskies on
Sunday.
SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION
Western Michigan took two of three from Bowling Green last
weekend after dropping its MAC-opening series, two games to one, at
Kent State the weekend before. The Broncos enter play with a 3-3
MAC record and are tied for fourth place in the challenging MAC
West Division. Overall, WMU is in the middle of the pack in both
hitting (8th, .270) and pitching (7th, 4.77) categories in the
conference but feature the league's ERA leader in sophomore RHP
Ethan Hollingsworth, who is 3-1 with a 1.87 mark. Hollingsworth,
the 2006 Freshman of the Year, is 2-0 in conference play with a
1.20 ERA. The Broncos returned 11 letterwinners from a team that
went 30-22 overall, 16-9 in the West, and finished tied for second
in the division last spring.
ON THE HILL
• Fifth-year senior
Billy McKinney (1-2, 4.97
ERA) will be looking to return to form after taking the loss in
UA's 8-3 setback to Northern Illinois last weekend. The
right-hander is third on the staff with 29.0 innings pitched and
boasts a strikeouts-to-walks ratio of nearly 3:1 with 21 K's
compared to just eight free-passes allowed. He has pitched at least
five innings in all five of his starts. McKinney (Loveland,
Ohio/Kings) missed the entire 2006 season while recovering from
Tommy John surgery.
• Third-year sophomore
Frank Turocy (1-1, 4.15)
turned in the best start of his career last weekend in a 5-0,
complete-game shutout against the Huskies. The right-hander
scattered seven hits and fanned seven, while walking none, in
Akron's first complete-game, nine-inning shutout in nearly two
years. Turocy (Canfield, Ohio/Canfield), who is tied with McKinney
with a staff-high 21 strikeouts, was named MAC East Division
Pitcher of the Week on Monday.
• Redshirt freshman
Steven Zemanek II (3-1,
5.45) came one out short of posting his second consecutive
complete-game effort with 8.2 commanding innings against NIU
Sunday. Zemanek (Euclid, Ohio/Villa Angela-St. Joseph) is averaging
nearly seven innings per start and has thrown 17.2 frames in his
past two outings while posting a 1-0 record and a 4.58 ERA during
that time.
WHO'S HOT
• Junior catcher
Kurt Davidson (North
Canton, Ohio/Hoover) brings an 11-game hitting streak into play
this weekend, just two shy of a career high set in 2005. He is
hitting .417 (20x48) with four home runs and 16 RBI during that
stretch.
• Sophomore
Brett Savage (Massillon,
Ohio/Perry) recorded the first five-hit game of his career in seven
at-bats at Duquesne Wednesday. With three hits in the previous game
against Malone, the outfielder has recorded eight hits in his last
11 at-bats for a lofty .727 mark, including three doubles and three
runs scored.
• True freshman
Kevin Haas (North Olmstead,
Ohio/St. Ignatius) has hit safely in eight of his last nine games
and posted four hits in his first start at shortstop against the
Dukes. The North Olmstead-native is batting a team-high .611
(11x18) with five runs scored and a pair of stolen bases in Akron's
last five games.
• Junior outfielder
Scott Gunn (Toledo,
Ohio/St. Francis de Sales) posted the first five-hit game of his
career in six at-bats against Duquesne and has hit safely in his
last three contests. Gunn raised his batting average by 40 points,
from .259 to .299, with his career day against the Dukes.
• As a team, the Zips have posted double-digit hits in three
of their last four games and are batting .331 (52x157) during that
time while outscoring their opponents 33-18.
• Relief pitcher
Ryne Romick (Hannibal,
Ohio/Hannibal River) is 1-0 and hasn't allowed an earned run in his
last three appearances (5.0 IP). During that time, the right-hander
has held opposing hitters to a miniscule .188 batting average.
• In the past week, UA relievers have notched a 3-1 record and
two saves while allowing just four earned runs over 15.1 innings of
work (2.35 ERA).
ZIPS NOTEBOOK
• Akron's 24 hits against Duquesne Wednesday were the
most recorded by an Akron team in 10 years. The Zips posted 28
knocks against the Virginia Military Institute in 1997.
• The Zips scored 13 runs in the final two frames against the
Dukes. This has followed a trend of late-inning scoring for UA,
which has outscored its opponents 86-40 from the sixth inning on.
As a team, Akron is averaging nearly four runs (3.91) during that
time.
• With 14 wins through its first 22 games, Akron is more than
a month ahead of last year's team. The 2006 Zips didn't record
their 14th win of the year until May 9th.
• With a two-run homer in the sixth inning against Northern
Illinois last Sunday, catcher
Kurt Davidson moved into
fourth place on the school's all-time home runs list with 25 career
round-trippers. He trails the all-time mark of 28, shared by Mike
Doerbecker (1996-99) and Dick Duncan (1981-84), by just three (see
Page 8 for more details). His six homers on the season are second
most in the MAC (NIU's Jesse Seykora and BSU's Kory Benbow, 7). The
second-team All-MAC performer hit seven round-trippers as a
freshman and 12 during his sophomore campaign.
• Davidson, who leads the team with six home runs and 26 RBI,
has reached base in all but one game this season (vs. Georgetown,
Mar. 9). Davidson was 0-for-4 with a sacrifice fly against the
Hoyas.
• Akron has posted six last-at-bat victories this season (see
Page 6) and is 7-6 when trailing or tied after six innings.
Moreover, the Zips are a combined 8-2 when tied after the six,
seven and eighth innings.
• UA have committed the fewest errors in the league (21) and
represent the top fielding team in the conference with a .975
fielding percentage.
• Senior
Pat
Gliha (Euclid, Ohio/Villa Angela-St. Joseph) moved into second
place on the school's all-time appearances list with a scoreless
ninth inning at Duquesne Wednesday. Gliha, who has appeared in 62
games for the Zips, is just three appearances short of becoming the
school's all-time leader (see Page 8). The top mark currently
belongs to Joe Header, who made 64 appearances for UA from
1995-98.
• The Zips are second in the MAC with a team batting average
of .293 and fourth in the league with a collective ERA of 4.52.
• UA relievers have posted five saves through the first 22
games of 2007. Akron recorded just one save during the entire 2006
season (51 games).
• Turocy's complete-game, nine-inning shutout against Northern
Illinois last weekend was Akron's first of the season and the
program's first since Ross Liersemann accomplished the feat in a
10-0, nine-inning decision over Marshall on May 6, 2005.
• McKinney owns the Zips other complete-game shutout. The
right-hander blanked Eastern Kentucky in a seven-inning victory
(7-0) on March 3rd.
• Akron has posted two shutouts in 2007 after recording none
in 2006.
• Davidson leads the team with a .417 batting average (10x24)
in conference play. He is followed by
John Turk (Kirtland,
Ohio/Kirtland) and Haas, who are each hitting .350 against the
league.
UA, KSU TO PLAY GAME FOR CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL
The baseball programs from the University of Akron and
Kent State University will team up for the Diamond Classic for Kids
on Apr. 24 at Canal Park, the home of Minor League Baseball's Akron
Aeros. All proceeds from the regular-season contest between the
Mid-American Conference rivals will benefit the Akron Children's
Hospital.
"The Akron Children's Hospital is pleased to be partnering with two
outstanding institutions, such as the University of Akron and Kent
State University to raise both money and awareness for our
children's hospital," said Laura Jo Hawk, director of annual
programs. "Community involvement such as the Diamond Classic for
Kids is vital to continuing the mission of Akron's Children
Hospital where we treat each child as if they were our own,
regardless of a family's ability to pay."
Game time for the special event is 6 p.m. Tickets are $10 for
adults and $5 for youths (ages 3-17) and for UA and KSU students
with valid ID. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit
the ticket office at either school or call 1-888-99AKRON.
Both Universities are hoping the Diamond Classic for Kids will
become an annual event.
"Any time our players can do something for a group such as the
Akron Children's Hospital, it is a great opportunity," said Akron
head coach
Pat
Bangtson. "We are looking forward to the game against Kent. The
first Diamond Classic for Kids will be something the community can
support for years to come and our 2007 Zips baseball team is proud
to get this event up and running."
The Diamond Classic for Kids will represent the 128th meeting
between the rival schools and third meeting at Canal Park all-time.
Kent State has won both contests, the last coming in a 4-3,
10-inning decision in 2003.
Players, coaches and mascots from both schools will visit children
at the hospital in on April 9th at 2 p.m. when they will be
available to media.
"It's an opportunity for our fans and Akron's fans to support their
teams and more importantly, support a great cause with Children's
Hospital," said KSU head coach Scott Stricklin. "It's a great
rivalry game and it's going to be a fun atmosphere to play in a
professional park."
The Diamond Classic for Kids will be considered a non-conference
contest for the two schools. The Zips will host the Golden Flashes
in conference play at Lee Jackson Field from May 11-13.
